


Part of the Family

by Dovahgame2099



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asphyxiation, Biting, Blood, Emotional Manipulation, Eye Gouging, Gen, Hallucinations, Mentions of Lucas Baker (Resident Evil), Mentions of Marguerite Baker (Resident Evil), Mentions of Zoe Baker (Resident Evil), Psychic Violence, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Psychosis, Stabbing, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-10 08:42:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12295524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dovahgame2099/pseuds/Dovahgame2099
Summary: A much darker, alternate ending to Resident Evil VII: Biohazard.Ethan's luck, it seems, has all but run out...





	1. Back to the Start

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first work of fiction on the site, so naturally it won't be my 'best' work by any stretch of the imagination, regardless, any criticism is appreciated! I hope you enjoy!

The past few hours would remain the most harrowing of Ethan Winter's life. Unfortunately for him, the nightmare wasn't over yet; not by a long-shot, yet here he was back where he started, the Guest House, where it all began. Whilst it had only been a matter of hours since he last stepped foot here, naïve bravado and determination fuelling each step; it felt like a lifetime.

The first indication that he was in the Guest House once more came in the form of a battered, seemingly porcelain doll, something Ethan recalled as being one of the numerous catalysts of a innate fear, a gut-feeling that something was very wrong, that he should have left when he had the chance, though he had no time for regret now that he had come so far, and so he continued, retracing his steps until he was met suddenly with Mia, seemingly unaware of Ethan's existence, looking around frantically: "It's gone! It's gone!" came her voice, fraught with worry, Ethan in his confused state, put out a hand in the hopes of alerting her to his presence, as he did, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and when he resumed his gaze, Mia was nowhere to be seen.

Concluding that Eveline, as per the reports in the makeshift Lab he came across during his trek through the Salt Mines, was making him hallucinate, attempting to shock his mind into submission, though Ethan was attempting to simply focus on the task at hand: Kill Eveline with the Necrotoxin and get the hell out of this place, and thus, he began to walk up the long flight of stairs that led into the main upper hallway of the Guest House, joints aching with every step, he had gone through hell to get here- he wasn't going to let his own head get in the way now, if, of course, he had his way.

Gun in hand, he entered the hallway, on the lookout for any more Molded, as he began to walk, his vision began to pale, another sign of an impending hallucination, and so he steeled himself for whatever more Eveline had in store for him. Surprisingly, he felt little to no fear when a monstrous Mia appeared in front of him, a hallucinatory Ethan in her grasp, no, he felt no fear then, that came when his spine felt like it had been shattered to pieces when the Hallucinatory version of himself was sent crashing through the wall, wracked with pain, an experience that had been one of the few constants in his fight through the Baker Plantation, he continued on, only to see Eveline herself standing with a hateful look on her face, once again, the pain in his head returned, and, once again he was met with nothing other than the walls, though as he continued Eveline's voice seemed to cascade through his head, "This is your fault." she condemned, to which Ethan returned, though mostly to himself: "Why am I seeing this?". No answer came, though he could clearly see Eveline, standing once more before him, surrounded by an inconceivable darkness.

Ethan quickened his pace, hoping to catch up to the girl, when he was apprehended by Mia, though he knew she was just in his head, he was physically unable to remove himself from her grip, along with this, she FELT real too, as if she were there, he had no time to reminisce, however, as Eveline's voice, with a devious tone came from the darkness, "Kill him, Mommy." said she, and much to Ethan's terror, Mia wholeheartedly complied, throwing him into the wall sending jolts of pain through the entirety of his body, and again as he was forced to the ground, Mia did not cease there, however, as Mia thrust a screwdriver, just as she did all those hours ago, into his hand, forcing all the pain from his appendage to resurface. As he sat slumped in agony against the wall, Eveline appeared again, and said with malice: "He doesn't want to be my Daddy? Then he can die." She came unnerving close to Ethan's face, unnatural eyes glinting in the darkness, then disappeared again, though her voice still rung in Ethan's ears as if she had not yet vacated her position, "Now it's Mommy's turn to kill you." came Eveline.

* * *

 


	2. Shattered Realities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan's already fragile mind may be beginning to crack...

Once the pain in his hand began to subside, Ethan stumbled into a standing position, hoping to God that he wouldn't have to face such pain once more, as he paced through the kitchen ever-aware of the constant throbbing pain that had relocated from the back of his head and taken residence in every corner of his skull, and left into yet another hallway, Eveline, as seemed customary in this nightmarish scenario, was before him again, impatience seemingly emanating from her, though, it didn't take a psychic for Ethan to know that she was, to put it bluntly; Pissed.  
"You're gonna be one of us. Then maybe you'll play nicely." Came the girl's youthful voice-she emphasized the "Then" as if she were making a compromise and Ethan was exhausting all her efforts. Ethan, who was getting damn tired of having to listen to her, showed him the syringe full of the one thing that could end the Bioweapon's life, and retorted: "I'm not playing." in attempt to scare her out of forcing him to hallucinate, though this only furthered her anger, and, by extension, Ethan's searing headache, as she backed away, "No! Get that away from me!" She commanded, though Ethan attempted to block her influence by focusing on all the pain she had caused him, how she'd killed Mia, twisted the Bakers into monsters, forced them to kill and kidnap people, he wasn't going offer any lenience to her regardless of how old she was, or looked, she had to pay.

Ethan hardly had any time to register Eveline's sudden dissapearence as Mia came sprinting down the hallway, spite and hatred in her eyes, wielding a chainsaw that she used to slash at Ethan, screeching "I don't want your help!" as she 'cut' deep into his chest causing a cacophony of pure agony to surge through the area affected, Ethan stumbled back, tears of pain in his eyes, and forced himself into the wall, narrowly missing another strike from his wife, he made with a start towards the end of the hallway, Mia's footsteps following behind him, he clutched the doorknob and feebly attempted to wrench it backwards, hoping to force it open, to no avail, thus, he turned back expecting to feel yet another surge of malicious pain, but, interestingly, there was... nothing. No Mia. No Eveline. The pain, however, still remained.

Ethan began back towards the kitchen, hesitant, lest Mia attacked him again, he went slow, as his head felt... numbed somewhat, not to the pain, but to everything else, it was only now he felt how truly exhausted he was, how much he wished to have been able to go back, back before all of this, before Mia had ever gone missing, and tell her those three simple words: "I love you." Because, he did, he loved Mia with all his heart, but was never good at showing it, he always felt as if his concern for her wellbeing came across as distrust, and of course, he supposed, that there were times he hadn't of trusted her, and, unfortunately for him his distrust was not ill-founded, she HAD been lying to him, for God knows how many years.  
But none of that mattered now.  
She was dead.  
He never even got to say goodbye.

Ethan continued his walk oblivious of the hallucinatory machinations Eveline had employed in attempt to bring him under her control, until he made for the stairs, hoping to find Eveline there and end his pain once and for all. As he reached the top, Mia appeared from the darkness and swung her chainsaw at his face, to which Ethan instinctively raised his hands in a vain attempt to minimize the damage, however, the pain did not come, it seemed she had disappeared before the chainsaw connected with him, something Ethan was truly grateful for. Ethan clambered up the wooden stairs that led to the attic, exhaustion beginning to overtake him, with every step, his entire body felt weaker, his hands no longer had a grip on the shotgun he previously wielded, and so, when it came down to it, he had one thing. A syringe.  
Fortunatley for Ethan, that was all he required.

In the corner of his eye, Ethan noticied a dark figure a few metres away from him.  
He had finally cornered the little bitch.  
With a firm hand on the Necrotoxin he began to approach Eveline, mind buzzing in grim anticipation, he was finally going to get out of this fresh hell, after all this time, though as he advanced the girl screamed in a mix of pure terror and hatred: "No! Don't!" As she did, a vast wave of fog-like energy was sent hurtling from her body towards Ethan, colliding with the man and throwing him several feet backwards, dazed, feeling pain akin to having one's skin ripped off, Ethan feebly picked himself up from the floor, and resumed what can only be described as a limp toward Eveline, each step he took furthered the already nigh-unbearable pain present in all of his being, Eveline sent another shockwave in his direction, to which Ethan attempted to shift all his weight forward, so that the attack would only knock him upwards-he hoped.  
As the wave of pain took of yet another layer of metaphysical skin, causing him to be forced back only very slightly, his vision had paled considerably, flashes of Eveline's voice indecipherably whispering in his head were all that was left, he was almost next to her, the adrenaline forcing its way through his veins, he reached out, unable to hear her rampant protests, grabbed her by the shoulder, and readied himself to plunge the syringe directly into her neck, "Goodbye, Eveline." Ethan managed to say, sounding calm against the raging storm that was his mind-

"Stop."  
Ethan stopped.  
"Drop it."  
Ethan dropped the Toxin.  
"Smash it."  
Ethan crushed the syringe under his foot.

Ethan was Eveline's, now.

* * *

 


	3. Shattered Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his only key out of the nightmare gone, Ethan begins to realise that the worst has only just begun...

Ethan awoke.

Then he wished he didn't.

Confused at first, Ethan sat up from his laying position, hoping to survey his surroundings, and to his fear, he found that he was in some sort of bedroom, not just any bedroom, though...

The Master Bedroom of the Main House.                                                                                                    

Ethan had no idea why he was back here, was he not in the Guest House a few seconds ago? Where he had cornered Eveline and-

Gone.

After he had approached the child, ready to end her life, he could remember nothing.

One thing, however inexplicable lingered, he felt _guilty_ , why, he didn't know, perhaps it was the fact that he felt responsible for his wife's sudden death, that all of this happened because of him; "This is your fault." He thought to himself, still sitting on the side of the bed, head cupped in his hands in overbearing anxiety. The thing that worried him the most was the fact he had no recollection of the events that led up to him being... _here_. Perhaps, Ethan pondered, Zoe had rescued him and relocated him to the bedroom to recuperate, though, that would mean Eveline still lived, unless Zoe had managed to finish her off herself, which, to Ethan, seemed fitting, as Zoe would've finally got the retribution she fought for, something in Ethan's gut, however, told him that this wasn't the case, that, and the fact Eveline was standing at the foot of the bed, mouth stretched into a triumphant grin, "Daaaddyyy" came the girl, in a sing-song tone, the likes of which made Ethan turn to see the owner of the voice, but there was nothing, he was simply staring into the blackness.

He wondered briefly whether he was simply overtired and thus he was seeing and hearing things that weren't there, then, his mind was brought back to 'Reality', no, he wasn't tired, this was Eveline's doing, he felt idiotic for even proposing the idea. Feeling impatient with himself and the world around him, he got up and opened the decrepit door, paint peeling from the wood, and as he entered the hallway, he found the overarching silence to be deafening, it was as if every fibre of the house were trying to envelop him, trying with all it's might to smother him in death and decay, Ethan looked down from the second floor balcony, seeing if he could make out any figures in the darkness, but no, whilst he could continuously see the dark figure of Eveline in the corners of his eyes, following him everywhere he went, he could discern no other figures.

He was alone.

As he continued down the stairs, the sound of _singing_ echoed through the dead halls of the house, a familiar tune, one he had heard often in his youth, usually, most things from the man's youth would be comfort, though the way _she_ was singing it chilled him to the bone, as it seemed to have no source, it was everywhere, she was everywhere, he was just alone, he was just a scared child. Ethan trembled as he paced apprehensively towards the iron door that separated him from the outside, the house seemed even more stagnant when there was nothing illuminating it, and took on a blue-green tinge for some odd reason, he pushed the door with all his might, however weakened he felt, but was met with the same emotionless stubbornness he had faced when he first tried to leave. Frustrated, he began to slam his hands on the door, whilst he knew this would have little to no effect, save for the metallic clunk of the door when his fist connected with it, he continued to do so anyway, hoping to release any pent up anger, though his anger only greatened when he found this having no effect on his current emotional state.

"You're not leaving." Came Eveline's youthful voice, slyly, she was nowhere to be found but the pain in his mind indicated her shadowy presence, Ethan, abandoning his previous plan, made towards the boarded-up window beside him and endeavoured to smash the glass and earn his freedom; if conventional methods failed him, he'd have to use force, so he found a chair to utilise against the window, and raised it above his head, ready to throw-when all of a sudden, he felt his muscles fail him and felt his arms go limp, dropping the chair, narrowly missing an impact from it, he slumped onto the ground, as if he was paralyzed, the pain in his head had begun to increase tenfold, so much so that he could practically _hear_ the painful screeching in his skull and body, "You're _not_ leaving." Repeated Eveline, her voice now slightly raised, one thing was clear to Ethan, he couldn't, or _wouldn't_ leave.

Eveline, it seems, had other plans.

Ethan felt pain in every muscle, no, every cell in his body, as if knives were repeatedly lacerating him, slicing his skin, rupturing his organs, causing him to weakly writhe in unbridled agony, he tried to scream, but was unable to form any sound, nothing but a choked sob left his lips, he couldn't take it, everything was hurting, mind and body, every fear, every anger, every sadness, all present at once threatening to rip his sanity to shreds, Eveline simply stood in front of him, her visage one of disappointment; "Are you going to _behave_ now, Daddy?" She inquired. Ethan deduced that if he attempted to remain steadfast and refuse, he would likely die, _if_ she would let him, on one hand, death wouldn't be so bad compared to the fate Eveline wished upon him, but no, he wouldn't be allowed the luxury of death, would he? He was at an impasse, without choice, without options. "O...okay...okay...please..." Ethan even found it agonizing to force the words from his mouth, but that was all Eveline needed, her expression had changed considerably; into that of a gleeful smile, and fortunately for Ethan, she seemed satisfied with his meagre answer, "Good." She half-whispered, slightly monotone, Ethan still lay on the harshly splintered floor, facing upwards, he glanced up to see that Eveline was no longer in her former position, but was now watching him from the balcony almost completely obscured from view by the blackness.

Ethan got to his feet, slowly feeling the pain dissipate from his very soul, "At least that's over." He thought to himself, still unsure of what to do, and so he decided he'd find a place to sit down and evaluate his limited options.

Ethan sat, choked in darkness, at the very same dinner table he first came into contact with the Baker family, he could still remember every minute detail, his terrified thoughts, the way the candle-light gave Marguerite a spectral appearance, further emphasizing her shallow and twisted features, how the blood splattered onto Jack's filth-coated shirt as he cut into Lucas' arm, how the knife cut into his tongue and the sides of his mouth, how he thought it was going to be thrust down his throat at any given second, he knew he would never forget it, how could he? Still here he sat, recalling how much he despised each and every one of the Bakers, besides Zoe, then again, they were just as much victims as he and Mia, caught in the crossfire of idiot scientists trying to 'better mankind' and play God, nevertheless, Ethan had yet to consider his options, the initial purpose of coming to the Dinning Area, so, he pondered for a while, then came up with a few options; He couldn't get to Zoe, _if_ she was still alive, and he heavily doubted that Eveline would allow her to enter the house at all, he couldn't physically harm Eveline, either, as Ethan had no way of telling where she actually was, in all actuality, he realised that he actually had no valid options, nothing he could think of could get him out of this, not when Eveline had a connection to his mind, and, by extension, his body, and so Ethan simply sat, in defeat.

"I told you you're not leaving, didn't I, Daddy?" Stated Eveline's voice, with no clear focal point, "Yeah, you did..." Replied a morose Ethan, unsure of what to say other than admit defeat, he wasn't one to hang on to false hopes, "You _are_ going to be my Daddy now, aren't you?" Eveline said, in a tone Ethan didn't know whether or not to call 'patronizing', or that she simply wanted conformation. "After all, you _did_ kill my last one..." Her voice, Ethan realised, was coming from in front of him, and there she was, sitting at the opposite end of the table, staring intently directly into his soul, a mental image of him severing Jack's torso formed inside his head, then shooting him repeatedly during their fight in the Boat House, as Jack called his deceased wife's name in despair, after his death, Ethan recalled feeling triumphant, relieved, and God-Damn fed up, after he discovered his family's tragic past however, he felt more than a bit guilty for being the one to have to end both Jack and Marguerite's lives, however, if he relented, he would've surely died a most gruesome death, he justified to himself. "I did what I had to do, it was self-defence..." Ethan's voice trailed off, why was he justifying himself to her? If she could see inside his head, she already knew the reason, to Ethan, she was attempting to illicit sympathy from him, to make him feel some kind of positive emotions towards her, "I _don't_ have to justify myself to you, damnit!" Ethan spoke, anger beginning to bubble in the pit of his stomach, "No," said Eveline, "you don't, but what about my last Daddy?" she replied, an undertone of deviousness in her voice, "Well he's _DEAD!_ " Shouted out Ethan, without realising she had already disappeared. He stared into the darkness, eyes scanning every corner, when suddenly, a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder-

"Son," Said the hand's owner,

"Perhaps you'd like to turn around." Came a familiar Southern voice.

Ethan complied, curious, and there, standing behind him,

_Was Jack._

* * *

 


	4. Shattered Mortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ethan's mind further deteriorates under Eveline's grasp, he finds himself face-to-face with one of his greatest threats on the Plantation- Jack Baker, but wasn’t he dead?

Ethan couldn't comprehend it; did the serum prove futile against the Mold? How was _Jack_ _Baker_ standing in front of him, clear as day, a mournful look upon his face? It _had_ to be a trick, a hallucination, but then why did he seem... _Normal?_   His usually filthy shirt was now spotless, as with the rest of his ensemble, his pale, gaunt features replaced with a warm, kind looking man seemingly out of place in the madhouse that was the Baker plantation, Ethan, still stunned by his unexpected appearance managed to say an simple and exasperated "How?", after a brief pause, Jack replied, in a soft whisper: "Eveline, that's how, son...", Ethan had an unbearable multitude of questions to ask him, and Jack, seemingly aware of his confusion, beckoned him to sit down on the now torn and battered couch.

"You know _whatever_ is... in us can heal us and-" Began Jack, but before he could continue Ethan interrupted, saying: "I thought I... _killed you_ , with the serum..." The living room seemed isolated somewhat, cut off from the unfeeling and asphyxiating atmosphere the rest of the house retained, possibly due to another presence besides Eveline being situated there, regardless, Ethan wanted, _needed_ answers; "Well, you see," Jack resumed, the Morose tone is his voice maintained as he gazed forlornly at the floor, hands cupped together "I guess it didn't work..." He sighed momentarily "You killed me, didn't you Ethan?" Ethan nodded subtly, guilt beginning to trickle into his mind, unsure of where this conversation was going, "Marguerite, too... What about Lucas? Him as well?" Jack inquired, a very slight undertone of anger in his voice, "I don't...I don't understand... are you... _angry_ that I killed you?" Asked Ethan, fully aware of how, in a certain context, idiotic he sounded. "Lucas, Ethan." Jack stated simply and with a slight impatience; "No, he's... I don't know where he went..." Replied Ethan, ashamed of his lack of substantial answers.

"Well, there's that, I suppose, now, son, I ain't angry, I guess I just..." It seemed Jack had lost his train of thought, as he began anew "Just outta curiosity, what do you... feel towards Eveline?" Asked Jack, an oddly inquisitive quality to his voice, Ethan was shocked, in all actuality, why in hell did Jack want to know how he felt about Eveline, he himself thought it was fairly obvious; Pure contempt. "Why do you want to know?" Asked Ethan, defensively, whilst he didn't mind the company at all, he felt as if Jack's whole demeanour was... off, something unnerved him slightly about the way he spoke, though he disregarded his irrelevant suspicions and simply allowed Jack to reply-"I'm just interested, really." replied Jack, an confusingly childlike innocence about his reply, as if he truly had no ulterior agenda.

"You really can't tell?" Ethan began, "I... hate h-" as he said this, a sharp pain cascaded through his head; Eveline was hurting him, purposefully, it seemed, as her voice once again echoed through Ethan's mind, "Say you're sorry, _NOW!_ " Shouted Eveline in a mix of sadness and anger, furthering his pain, Jack, it seemed, simply sat idle on the couch, taking no effort in aiding Ethan in his predicament, unfortunately for him, Ethan knew the girl would not cease until he apologized, thus, to end his suffering, he let out a strained cry: "I'm sorry, Eveline! I... I am... please...!"  But it did not end, the pain persisted until it became unbearable, so much so that his mind began to shut down, and then, suddenly, it all went dark.

When he regained consciousness, he was surrounded by darkness, he could see nothing, he felt _horrible, ashamed_ , Ethan concurred that it was Eveline making him feel this way and not a genuine emotion, however 'real' it felt, " _That_ was a test, Daddy, and _you_ failed." Said Eveline, piercing his brain, the way she spoke made it sound like whatever 'test' she was referring to was one of the simplest things in world, Ethan said nothing, attempting to adjust his eyes to the dark even though it was futile.

He would see when Eveline wanted him to see, no doubt in his mind. Due to Ethan's silence, the girl continued: "You _lied_ to me when you said you were going to be my Daddy." Said she, "You said you _hated_ me, why would you even say that?" inquired the child, a slight quiver to her speech, Ethan didn't want to reply, though he didn't want to risk another bout of pain by her hands, thus, he decided to answer. "Was... Jack even... was he even... real....?" Asked Ethan in a somewhat destitute whisper, for he wanted to know whether the only company in this nightmare was a figment of his own damn imagination or not, "You answer _me_ first, Daddy, _then_ I'll answer you." Came the answer, frustrated, and lost for words, Ethan replied hastily: "I... because of what _you've_ done, all the times you've hurt... killed people, the Bakers...Mia..." Finished Ethan, a slight tear in his eye at the mention of his wife, how he missed her. "Mommy's not dead, silly!" Said Eveline, as if it were obvious.

This news shocked Ethan to the very core of his soul.

"Wait... what the _hell_ do you mean, Evie-" He stopped himself, preferring to use her full name as opposed to her shortened name, as it brought with it connotations that he felt affection for her, something Ethan knew he damn well didn't-" _Eveline_ , she's... she's not _dead?!_ " Exclaimed Ethan, in disbelief, "Of _course not_ , silly," Eveline giggled, "Do you _really think_ I'd kill Mommy?" Ethan downright _rejected_ this, he couldn't or wouldn't believe it, she wasn't dead?

"I don't believe you!" Shouted Ethan unto the ever-prevalent darkness, almost childishly, Eveline simply giggled again, then: " _Fine_ , if you don't believe me, that's _your_ problem," She stated, voice full of annoyance "And no, Papa Jack was just part of the test, and you _still_ messed up" she added, much to Ethan's despair, so even Jack, who had seemed _real_ , so... _there_ , in front of him had been a lie.

He couldn't even trust his own gut-feeling anymore, let alone his own mind.

Her mood, it seemed had brightened somewhat, possibly due to the fact she had found some leverage over Ethan, not that she knew what leverage was, but Ethan knew it all too well, and began to consider whether there was any point in distrusting Eveline; he would just eventually be _forced_ to do her bidding regardless of how hard he tried to resist, this inevitability both damning and terrifying him. He also began to ponder whether seeing his wife again after all this time was worth the risk, as he _knew_ that there was no substantial way out of his predicament, and wondered how in hell he could fight his own mind, he couldn't die, couldn't fight back, couldn't run,

There really was only _ **one**_ option.

* * *

 

 


	5. Shattered Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all his options exhausted and resolve shattered, Ethan begins to stray ever-onwards towards insanity...

Ethan sat as he had been for the past few hours, alone in the dark, whispers of Eveline permeating the air, she was _omnipresent, omnipotent,_ as far as Ethan was concerned, and had no plans of relenting, yes, here he sat, alone, _unloved_ , he longed for a time in which he could be happy, free from fear and worry, and he _knew_   there was only one way to achieve this; but was it worth it at the cost of his free will? He was divided, his psyche split in two, on one hand, he would be forced to carry out Eveline's will, but on the other, just as Jack told him during his brief time on the wrecked ship, it wouldn't be as if she was controlling his every movement, he would simply feel an overriding urge to fulfil her wishes.

"Simply," Ethan chuckled slightly at this word, in that there was nothing simple about his predicament, he was being forced to make an impossible choice that would most likely be made for him eventually anyways, though, Ethan thought, uncertainty forming in the pit of his stomach, how did he know that his choices were his own any longer, how could he differentiate Eveline's influence from his own mind? The Easy answer was,

He couldn't.

After coming to no foregone conclusion, he decided to see if he could discover what part of the house he was currently in, as after further tests he had deduced that he had not in fact, gone blind, due to the slight visibility of his hands if he raised them closely to his eyes, though he was unsure why the darkness seemed so... _immovable,_ as surely, the man thought, that at least some light would penetrate the room, though he could find no curtains, no windows or doors, the only thing he was half-certain on existed was some sort of bed in the centre of the room, "Eveline?" He called in a hoarse tone, hoping to ask her his location, "Where... Where am I?" He called, beginning to feel uneasy, he _knew_ she was there, as the hair rose on the back of his neck and could feel a dull pain in his skull, "Eveline." He called, sounding slightly stern, even though he knew he had no power in the situation, _she_ was god here, Ethan was but a mite compared to her. No answer came, no sounds produced, not the creaking of the decayed house nor the howl of the wind, isolation at it's height. Ethan was ready to call again when suddenly, a sharp knock was heard from his left. Then his right. Behind him. In front of him. The knocks were seemingly surrounding him, increasing in speed and volume, as if some infernal beast was trying to lay waste to the room Ethan was encased in, his fright had increased considerably, eyes racing to spot anything that dared to come near, all the while, the knocking continued, threatening to burst his eardrums, by this time, the knocking was so rapid that it took on the sound of a continuous drone, "Stop, Eveline! Christ!" Screamed Ethan in fear, though juxtaposed to the overbearing noise, he was silent, he closed his eyes, vainly hoping that it would cease the knocking, then, to his relief,

The knocking stopped. Eyes still shut, he could still hear the vague ringing in his ears, disorienting him somewhat, he dared to open his eyes and found that at his feet was a puddle of _blood_ , a more accurate description would be a _sea of blood_ , the entire floor was drenched in the volatile crimson, the walls seeming burned and scarred, seeping blood from every crack, the walls also had some sort of crimson spirals splashed onto them, "WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS!" Ethan screeched, speech slurred somewhat due to his crippling terror, as he took in his hellish surroundings he began to realise that patterns he mistook for spirals, were in fact, a phrase,

_"DADDY WON'T BE BAD."_ Inscribed in every corner of the wall, scorching his soul, in his mind, the words were relayed over and over again by Eveline, so much so that they overlapped each other, much like the knocking, it echoed and resonated throughout every minute space in his head, he couldn't stop it, _she_ wouldn't stop. He grabbed his scalp in anguish, feeling a dizzying sickness force itself upon him, he wanted to die, he wanted it to end, as he battled further with her voice within his head, he lost his grip on the bedsheet and fell into the cacophony of scarlet liquid, and found it to be much deeper than he expected, it filled every orifice, stung his eyes, nauseated his mouth and stomach, wreaked havoc upon his sense of smell, he was drowning, falling, burning, he flailed in a feeble attempt to bring himself back to the surface, but it had no effect, dark flashes of his failures suddenly began to plague his mind, he couldn't save Deputy Anderson, The Bakers, Mia, he was powerless, pathetic, idiotic, he was wrong and  ~~~~ _she_ was right, Ethan began to feel the loss of air catch up to him, asphyxiating him, as if a tendril had wrought itself around his neck, crushing his windpipe, his eyes began to bulge and twitch, body feeling more numb and more dead by the second...

Then he was sitting once more, shaking uncontrollably, it had all stopped.

The pain, the noise, everything.

Gone.

The room was not, however, unchanged, whilst he was certainly in the same room; the layout was the same, the bed, any signs of the traumatic events that had transpired were nowhere to be found, what he failed to notice, however, was Eveline standing where the door ought to be, arms folded, neutral in her expression. "Do you understand now?" She inquired, Ethan felt nothing, no surprise or fear that she had spoken unnoticed by him, he was simply glad the ordeal was over, the girl repeated herself, in an attempt to illicit a response. "Understand _what_ , Evie?" answered Ethan quietly, staring at the wall, caring not to look at his questioner, "Do you understand what happens when _you're bad_?" She clarified, her tone sounding less impatient than before, "I don't want to hurt anymore..." Ethan said, completely off-topic, "I'm just... tired of all this, the fighting, everything..." Eveline came to sit next to him on the bed, seemingly concerned for him, even though she herself was the source of his suffering. "Well... you could be my Daddy," She suggested, as Ethan sat, morose, and still shaking slightly, "What would..." He sighed, then continued: "Would we be... happy? I... Would it _end_?" Ethan asked, with no more options, Eveline smiled, but attempted to contain her excitement, "If you were _behaved_ , we could..." She confirmed, Ethan showed no signs of emotion other than despair and defeat, "And..." He began, "What about Mia? Would she be... _happy_ , too?" He queried, " _If_   she'd actually _listen_ to me..." Eveline replied, voice slightly annoyed, but still retaining some semblance of empathy, unable to contain her excitement any further, she blurted out: "So, will you _really_  be my Daddy?!"

"Yeah, Eveline, I guess I will." Came the reply. 

* * *

 


	6. Shattered Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan, having finally made his 'choice', turns his attentions to the one reason he still wishes to survive; Mia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having to write this a second time now as my computer died half way through writing, so that's annoying as hell, also, whilst the premise of the chapter will hopefully largely stay the same, it may be shortened somewhat due to... annoyance.

It was done.

Ethan had made his decision.

He was to be Eveline's 'Daddy'.

Ethan still sat, on the same bed, within the same room, along with Eveline, saying nothing, he was contemplating whether or not he had made the right decision, not that he could, in all honesty, call it 'his decision' anymore, regardless, Ethan hoped that this would perhaps be an end to all of the suffering, the pain, the hardship, the fear, and that he and his wife could finally be reunited,

_Like a happy family._

The urge to establish familial bonds with Eveline had been present ever since he agreed to be her 'father', which had only been mere moments ago, the simple fact that these urges arose so swiftly caught the man off-guard, it simply felt... _wrong_ now to feel pure hatred for her, in it's stead he admitted that he had begun to feel pity for the girl, as, after all, all she wanted was a family, to be happy,

Their interests, it seems, were aligned.

As they sat in the mostly barren room, Eveline, uncharacteristically quiet, and Ethan, still feeling morose, was going to ask about Mia when Eveline suddenly began to converse, interrupting him, "We're going to _happy_ , Daddy, I _know_ we will." Said she, in a quiet tone, seemingly attempting to put his mind at ease, as if she could sense his apparent dread, which, Ethan concurred, she most likely could, and as such, seemingly confirming his beliefs, she continued: "We _will_ see Mommy, don't worry, Daddy, I wanna see her too, but," She paused, most likely for effect, adopting a slightly darker tone that could be perceived as threatening; "You'll have to _behave_ , you will, won't you, Daddy?" Ethan shuddered, not wanting to experience what happened when he disobeyed her ever again, namely, _Hell on Earth,_ thus, he simply nodded, complying was the best option if he wanted to see Mia again, to finally tell her how much he cared for her, and this time, _he'd make sure_  nothing happened to her, he wouldn't allow it.

After allowing his mind to wander, he asked Eveline if they could see Mia now, as, in all actuality, all he wanted to do was see her again, and so the girl agreed, much to his fortune, whilst he realised how odd and possibly even comedic it sounded, having to confirm his wishes to a child, though he did not want to risk incurring her wrath once more, spontaneously, Eveline arose from her sitting position and began to walk away, saying "I'll see you soon, Daddy!" In an excited tone, the likes of which confused Ethan greatly, was she leaving him again, isolating him, he found no hint of malice in her words, however poor his current judgement, so why, when he turned back, was she nowhere to be seen?

A few brief moments following Eveline's departure, Ethan began to feel nauseous, his stomach began to lurch, feeling as if it were flipped horizontally, additionally, he could oddly feel the blood rush to his head, dizzying his balance, and disorienting him, when suddenly,

He awoke for the first time in _hours_.

Confused, he began to realise that he was seemingly suspended upside-down encased inside some sort of cocoon that obscured his vision, it was, however, reminiscent of the Mold he was ensnared in during his time on the wrecked ship, Ethan felt weak, his muscles numb and limp, his head felt oddly light and dizzying, and when he attempted to call for aid, large masses of Mold passed into his mouth and forced itself town his throat, causing him to violently gag, it clung to the insides of his oesophagus, threatening to asphyxiate him, much like the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mass he was trapped within, after futile attempts to break out of his biological prison, he heard a harsh snapping noise from above him, then a metallic clung below him thus, he came to the conclusion that he was suspended above a metal floor, suddenly, he heard a second snap, then a third, then a fourth, and on the fifth, he was cast towards the ground, landing awkwardly, resulting in a sharp stab of pain up the left side of Ethan's spine, fortunately for him, however, it did not feel broken,  _unfortunately,_ he was still unable to break free or even move, that is, until he heard uneven footsteps approaching him, "Mia." He thought, relived, the person he assumed to be Mia stopped for a brief moment then resumed, attempting to force the Mold open, Ethan could see the Mold tear under the force as small fragments fell on his face, due to light, however dim, it took a few seconds for Ethan's eyes to adjust, but when they did, as per his assumptions, he was met with the concerned face of Mia, "Ethan?" Said she, with a mix of happiness and worry, she lifted Ethan's rather weak body out of the cocoon and rested him on a railing with relative ease, to Ethan, as he took in his surroundings, it became apparent that he was back on the Oil Tanker.

"Mia..." Ethan managed to say, ecstatic, though unable to sufficiently show it, due to his exhaustion, Eveline, it seemed, wasn't lying, "How did you... Get back here... and ~~~~_why_?" Mia queried, seemingly unnerved by her husband's unexpected appearance, "And what _happened to you_? You look... Oh God..." Mia's voice trailed off, her visage the very epitome of shock, "I... I love you... Mia..." Ethan hoarsely whispered, in a slight daze, he was finally able to tell her that which he often neglected, and later regretted, to do so, Mia simply slumped beside him, and asked, though quite hesitantly; " _She's_ finally... got you, hasn't she?" Ethan knew what she meant instantaneously, but said nothing, thus, Mia continued; "What about the serum, Ethan? Did you _use_ it...?" Ethan's suddenly began to wonder... what _had_ happened to the serum, did it simply not work? It seemed as if he had completely forgotten about; "I... I just... I _don't know_." He said simply, fraught with worry, he sat, weakened, staring at the rust-covered bulkhead door in front of him, it looked as if the Mold had sealed it tight, "Eveline's doing," He murmured to himself, and, as if she had heard him, there she was, standing in front of the door he had noticed prior, dark black hair obscuring one side of her pale face, "Daaddyy" She called, as if attempting to find him in a game of hide-and-seek, Mia, seemingly noticing the girl, gasped audibly and stood in front of Ethan, defiant, as if she was protecting him; "Stay back, Eveline! You hear me?!" She shouted, worry and anger clearly present in her trembling voice, Eveline simply shrugged, and said, with a sly grin; " _Daddy_   wants us to be a _family_ , he said so himself,  _and_ he actually listens to me." Mia shook her head in disbelief, glancing back at Ethan, who simply stared at the floor, Eveline continued, advancing as she did, "And guess what, _Mommy?_ That... thing," She said with contemptuous disdain, "That...serum you wanted to hurt me with? _Daddy smashed it for me!"_ She said, clearly enjoying the anguished look on Mia's face.

Mia then turned to Ethan, and half-shouted; "Tell me it's not true, Ethan, you, you wouldn't!" Ethan, whilst extremely shocked, and even terrified at the prospect that the disposal of the serum was _his_ doing, again, said nothing, not wishing to say a word against Eveline, resulting in more pain, nor his wife, betraying her, meanwhile, Mia had began to cry, tears in her eyes, and said to the girl, "You- you can't... Eveline, you can't take him..." To which she coldly replied: "He doesn't _love you_ , Mommy, and he won't until we're a family, either." This seemed to be the final straw for Mia, as she attempted to run right, to the second door and win her freedom, all-the-while, Eveline stared at Ethan and said, almost casually; "Daddy, hurt Mommy..." "No! Oh GOD! YOU...!" Shouted Ethan In protest, suddenly full of life , but was cut short by a familiar searing pain burning straight through his head, again, he heard those god-forsaken words again, " _DADDY WON'T BE BAD._ " Repeated, overlapping, he couldn't bear it, he couldn't hurt her, he  _had to_ , _she_   _wanted him to, she needed him, his daughter needed him to_ -

Ethan sprinted towards Mia, full of unbridled ferocity, still screaming in anguish, and caught her by the legs, whilst Mia attempted to struggle, she could not under Ethan's suddenly immense strength, he climbed on top of her and grabbed a clump of her hair, and forced her into the ground, he continued this until he could vaguely feel the impact cracking the back of her skull, he then proceeded to wrap his hands around her neck, asphyxiating her, just as he did in that sea of blood, she would suffer how he suffered, with one final crunch, her neck gave way under the pressure, causing her head to dangle limply, dripping crimson, Ethan then looked up to his daughter, anticipating what she would say next, she simply said, gaze on Mia's limp body, "She'll be okay, Daddy, don't worry, but..." She paused, giggling as she did so, "Maybe _you_ should go to sleep for a bit Daddy, you look tired!" And with that, Ethan fell unconscious, slumped over Mia.

Eveline, as per usual, had gotten _exactly what she wanted from her new Daddy._  

* * *

 


	7. Shattered Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grim consequences of Ethan's 'choice' begin to come to fruition...

Ethan felt, no, _knew_ he had done the right thing, furthermore, he had made _Eveline_ happy, thus, his actions, were the correct ones.

That is, until he regained consciousness.

As the man slowly began to awaken, brief, but not indecipherable flashes of his actions played across his mind, still disoriented, he dismissed said thoughts as a result of some sort of nightmare, though, the nightmare, he began to realise, was most certainly _real_.

There, on the ground, was Mia, head still laying at an unnatural angle, brown stains of recently dried blood around her skull, Ethan, coming to his senses, forced his still weakened body aloft and ran to her aid. "What have you..." "EVELINE!" He screamed, head thrown upwards in terrified anguish, he wanted answers, had the girl done this? All signs pointed the opposite... to _him_ , "Eveline!?" He shouted again, voice slightly lowered, though still enough to disturb the ship, that retained it's stagnation, " _I_ didn't do it, Daddy, _you_ did." Came Eveline's voice, from the blackness, try all he might, he was unable to deny that it was he that committed such a depraved act of violence, as he realised that there was no doubt in his mind that it was indeed his fault. Instead, he knelt by her side, and decided to inspect the wounds; Her neck had all but healed, a soft crackling within seemed to indicate that her bones were reforming, Ethan had no idea how it worked, but was simply grateful for the fact that it did, the back of her skull seemed to also be regenerating, the grotesque bloat forming on the back of her head, convulsing, seemed to be shrinking, relocating back into her cranium, she would be fine, as he had begun to recall Eveline confirming a few hours prior. "She'll wake up soon." Said Eveline, now standing beside Ethan, who still knelt, gaze refusing to avert from Mia, he would wait until she recovered, he had decided, "Why...?" He asked, in a small tone, exasperated, if she truly loved both he and Mia as her parents, and by extension, her 'Family', why was she so willing to hurt her? "She wasn't _listening_ to me, she wasn't _behaving_ , but,  _you_ did the right thing, Daddy!" She said simply answering his thoughts, mood brightening somewhat as she referred to Ethan, much to his added confusion, had he _really_ done the right thing? In his mind, he supposed that he understood that there were no other choices, after all, Ethan had resigned himself in becoming Eveline's Daddy, so, in all actuality, anything that happened was _his fault_ , wasn't it? He was continuously doubting himself at every turn, unsure of what to think, or what to feel, he knew that he wasn't the same young man that had originally entered this nightmare, full of naivety and mock courage,

He wasn't even the same man who had survived all the hardship during the nightmare, either.

Ethan was something different now, he was something he didn't or couldn't fully understand, in simple terms, he was Eveline's Daddy, and she, his daughter. He was suddenly shook from his current thoughts when he noticed Mia's hand twitching, she was  _waking up_. Nervousness suddenly began to overtake Ethan, what would happen now? Would she attempt to attack him back in retaliation? Would she hate him forevermore? His mind was in a constant state of motion, an ensemble of thoughts racing through his head, so he began to back up towards the opposite wall, to give her some space and time to process the thoughts in her mind, she began shakily getting to her feet, in the back of his mind amusingly akin to how she would awake during a Hangover, she stared blankly at her husband for a few short moments, then began to come into focus, suddenly, she, herself backed into the opposite corner, into the door, though made no attempts to open it, it seemed Eveline could sense her intent was not one of escape, as she would have urged Ethan to subdue her once more. The couple stood opposite from one-another, staring into the other's eyes in an attempt to pick up any traces of dark motives from them, Ethan broke the deathly silence, saying in a low voice; "I _didn't_ mean it...I, I couldn't..."He was lost for words, nothing he could say had the desired effect of consoling her, then, Mia returned, "I know... it's..." She sighed as if her oncoming sentence would take true effort; "It's _not_ your fault, _It's_..." She stopped herself, deciding against continuing, though Ethan knew exactly what she was insinuating. Ethan didn't want to be separated from her, though he couldn't trust himself not to hurt her once more, and thus, said: "I don't want to hurt you, Mia, I... I'm _so_ sorry..." He said, feeling tears beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm going to walk to the middle, okay, Ethan?" Said she, apparent in her wariness, she had to take precautions, he understood that, and so nodded in agreement in her direction, briefly spotting Eveline behind her, in the darkness, though she disappeared just as fast as she had appeared. "You... _you_ come towards me now, _slowly_." She said, visibly hesitant, he could practically  _see_ the worry in her mind, though he knew that is was not ill-founded, but still felt a sense of deep annoyance and impatience due to her distrust, surely she knew he wasn't going to hurt her, not without Eveline's intervention, anyways. Eager to approach her, he began to stride then remembered Mia's request that he do so slowly, and thus diminished his speed, and stopped around two metres away from her, staring lazily at the ground in shame, "I'm a _monster_ to you, aren't I?" He said, shame audibly present in his voice, "No, never, Ethan, you, you couldn't control it, _believe_ me, _I_ know." Her referral to her own monstrous persona brought back troubling images for Ethan,  _never_ would that leave him, but, as always, he would have to deal with it... for Eveline, as he was sure she wouldn't want to see him worried... He realised his odd thought but cared not for it, as it was the least important thing in his mind at present, though, he mentally winced slightly at this, as it felt _wrong_ to dismiss Eveline's feelings so freely.

"Ethan?" Mia questioned, breaking him from his thoughts, it seems he was pondering for a noticeably long time; "Are you... okay? Is it Eveline?" She asked, concerned, to which he replied swiftly, "No, it's... it's not Evie... Can we... can we just sit down for a bit?" "Of course." She said simply, as they paced over to the central railing and propped their backs against it, for a while, they sat, saying nothing, content with one another's presence, until Ethan felt a small hand grasp his own; It was Eveline, holding his hand as they all sat, Ethan, oddly had no objection to this, he didn't care, nothing bad was happening, they were all together, all contemplating their situation, of course, in her contemplation, Mia had failed to notice Eveline sitting besides her husband, holding his hand lovingly, then, she turned, spotting the child, not raising her voice, she stared at Ethan, wide-eyed and whispered, " _Ethan._ " In attempt to allude to the fact he was just allowing Eveline to sit beside him, Eveline turned to face Mia, smiling up at her, a miniscule trace of triumph upon her face, "I know" He said sharply, much more than intended, then asked, seemingly out of the blue; "Why do you _hate_  Evie?" Ethan was perplexed himself as to why he said this, as it seemed like a natural, automatic reflex, requiring no thought, Mia stumbled with her words somewhat, confused and anxious-looking then said; "Why would you... what do you mean?" He was going to reply with an "I don't know." When without warning, Eveline piped up, saying, matter-of-factly: "Daddy _means_ , _Mommy_ , Why. Do. You. HATE. ME?!" As she spoke, her volume and severity increased with each word, so much so that it became a shout, Mia, caught up in the essence of the argument, retaliated with: "HE'S _NOT_ YOUR DADDY, EVELI-" But was cut off loudly by Ethan, who was beginning to get fed up with the bullshit arguments, "ENOUGH! FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" He roared, mostly directed at Mia, "CAN'T YOU SEE?!" He continued, voice trembling somewhat, "There's just no point, Mia, I... I'm tired of, _all this_ , the fucking fighting, the pain, _the Goddamn arguments_ , I just want to be... happy, with you, with..." He faltered slightly, " _Eveline._ ", Mia couldn't believe what she was hearing; had Ethan _really_ just said all this, whilst she didn't know whether this was his genuine opinion, or simply Eveline's overriding influence, she couldn't tell, what she knew for certain, is that it _sounded_ genuine, and she was ashamed that he had given up, though, she had no way of knowing the hardships he had faced to be brought to this point.

Ethan began conversing again, saying with impatience, "Just, just _do this_ , I need you, _she_ needs you." He Emphasized his reference of Eveline, as if mention of her would change Mia's mind, "You wouldn't want to make _Daddy_ sad, would you?" Came Eveline, voice sounding ten times larger and imposing, "You'd be _happy_ , Mommy, _you'd love each other..._ " She paused, then added in a thinly-veiled sinister tone; " _I know you will._ "... Mia remained indignant, and spat harshly, " _Never._ " At this, dark tendrils of Mold began to approach both Ethan and Mia, with the former remaining still, as if paralyzed, though his eyes darted wildly around at the black mass now beginning to envelope him, Mia, again, tried to flee, but was entangled in hardened Mold, causing her ankle to be wrenched unnaturally clockwise, and before she knew it, the mass was advancing up her body. Eveline, seemingly finding the situation amusing, said with glee, "Oh, Mommy," She giggled, then resumed

" _You never had a choice._ "

* * *

 

 


	8. Shattered Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and Mia, now reunited, are forced to face their greatest threat; Each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not done with tormenting poor Ethan and Mia yet!  
> Sorry for the wait, I haven't really had the time to write another chapter, but I'll try to get a few done after the following week if I can, hope you're all enjoying it so far!  
> (Also be warned: This chapter is NOT for the faint of heart!)

The Main House seemed  _different_ , _clearer_ to Ethan as his eyelids began to part and he regained his sight, the man was laying in a position akin to a foetus in a womb, at the foot of a ludicrously torn and musty couch, the smell of urine emanating from within, he utilised the couch as leverage to gain a standing position and began to survey his predicament; He had thus far confirmed to himself that he was indeed in the Main House once more, or rather, the Dining Area of the Main House, confused, he called out, not to his wife, as per his own expectations, but Eveline, his hoarse voice, a knife in the silence, save for the occasional creaks and insects sounding through and within the walls, then, he heard from the silence, another verbal blade; "What, Daddy?" Came Eveline's youthful voice, giggling slightly. Ethan began to pace almost casually towards the window absentmindedly, to see if he could tell what time of day it was, and judging from the sickly orange glow on the horizon, he deduced that it was sundown, and that the impersonal coldness of night was fast approaching, Ethan cared not, however, as such coldness had become all-too familiar with him, and besides, he thought; _He_ was probably the worst thing lurking in the dark now, this slightly macabre fact elicited an unwarranted chuckle from his lips, shaking him from his thoughts, he then answered Eveline's query, saying: "Why are we... back  _here_ , Evie?" The girl answered almost immediately, slightly patronizing; "We're gonna help Mommy understand, silly!", not that Ethan had any objections; he knew Mia was fighting a losing battle, trying in vain to keep the inevitable at bay, but questioned again regardless, "What do you mean, ' _Understand_ '?" as he finished his sentence, he felt a cold but familiar presence behind him, not unlike the darkness itself, the difference was, however,

This presence was his _Daughter_.

"Y'know, make her understand that _you_ want us all to be happy, and to be a _Family_." Came Eveline from behind him, quietly, "You _do_ want that, don't you?" She added, "Yeah, I do, Sweetie." Replied Ethan, as if automatically, with the final word 'Sweetie' sounding genuinely affectionate, much to his surprise, at this, Eveline ran excitedly over to Ethan and hugged his legs, as she could not meet his rather tall stature. Oddly, Ethan found himself feeling genuinely joyous, and so simply smiled, any merest twinge of worry and fear had dissipated; this little girl didn't  _scare him_ , no, rather, he felt as though she truly  _needed_ him.  _Needed_ him to help her with Mia, and to this end, he spoke; "So,  _where_ is she?" "Follow me!" Eveline called in a sing-song voice, skipping away, Ethan obliged, and trudged after her, fortunately, they didn't have to go far, though when they turned the corner together there was no sign of the girl. Mia, however, was very much present, standing hunched at the end of the hallway, the sun's dying glow illuminating her surroundings, her body was convulsing slightly, casting horrific shadows on the scarred floor below her, she stared, eyes full of malice, at Ethan, who shouted-out, "Mia?" We... we need to talk!" His voice sounded firm with grim anticipation, sweat beginning to form on his brow, he knew what was about to happen-"YOU'VE RUINED  _EVERYTHING!_ " Screeched an anguished Mia, "YOU'RE PATHETIC, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!" Came a second scream, Ethan pondered briefly the possibility that Eveline was controlling her once more, but recalled an E-Mail on the Lab in the Salt Mines detailing that Mia seemed to have violent bouts of rage, not at Eveline's behest, and thus it seemed to him, that this was one such bout.

"Mia, you need to calm down, okay?" Said Ethan, attempting to diffuse the situation, though only furthered it due to the frustration prevalent in his speech, though his efforts did nothing, save for inciting an already enraged Mia, who began a violent sprint towards Ethan, roaring with an animalistic fervour as she ran, Ethan, seeing no other way to counter this, met her speed, bolting towards Mia, in an attempt to disorient her, though she showed no signs of faltering, and so Husband and Wife smashed into the other, adrenaline overpowering any semblance of pain, both parties attempted to arise to their feet, to attack the other first, it was Mia who got to her feet quicker, and with no weapon in sight, savagely slashed at his face with her claw-like fingers, catching him in the of the cheek, caring little, Ethan drove a fist right into the middle of her ribs, causing her to double forward but instead used the momentum to overpower him, pinning him to the ground, Mia's monstrous eyes glinted madly, a dark grin across her face, "HOW DOES IT FEEL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!" She shrieked, as she attempted to cruelly puncture his skin with her teeth, sinking them into his arm and vein as he attempted to push her off of him, sending a spray of darkened blood across his face and in his eyes, blurring his vision slightly. Mia continued to attempt to bite him, aiming for his jugular, until Ethan used his now free legs as Mia had shifted her weight to kick her sharply in the stomach, sending her tumbling backwards, hitting the floor abruptly, the man took this opportunity to create some distance between his aggressor, pushing himself backwards across the ground with his legs, and assumed a standing position, Mia, still dazed stared insanely towards the ceiling writhing and twitching, then forced herself to her feet, but when she looked for her Husband,

_He was nowhere to be found._ Ethan had paced backwards back into the Dining Area, in attempt to surprise her, as he went, he grabbed a filthy porcelain plate, and hastily, but as quiet as he could, ran through the large hole in the wall, created by Jack hours prior, as he turned the corner, he spotted Mia, skulking towards the Laundry-Room door, and began a full-on charge towards her, leaping into the air and smashing the plate directly into her skull, causing it to split into jagged fragments, Mia tumbled forwards, but regained her balance, and turned to face Ethan, who had picked up a part of the splintered plate and forced it callously through her eye, causing her to scream in pain, Ethan ripped it back out again in quick succession, shouting sporadically, "WHY!" He forced it through her other eye, leaving two bloody gaping holes in her head, "WON'T!" He slashed at her chest now, shards sticking into her stomach, "YOU!" Ethan discarded the shard now, and grabbed her by the head, blood cascading over his hands, and threw her through the Laundry-Room Door tearing it from it's hinges, "LISTEN!" Ethan walked heavily over to her; she was thrashing about her environment, unable to see, he kicked her violently in the chest, sending her into the floor, "TO!" he screamed, not having finished his insane ramblings, Mia feebly got to her feet, though Ethan simply threw her back out of the Laundry-Room, as if it were nothing, Screeching a strained, "HER!" at the bloodied figure before him, he turned away from her, subconsciously being unable to bring himself to see what he had done, however, this proved to be his worst mistake, as a blinded Mia thrust a large part of the door at him, pushing him with it, and into a wall, impaling him, unable to move, he attempted to reach for his Wife, but to no avail, he could not, Mia, oddly enough, seemed content with leaving him there, as she staggered of out of view towards the Dining Area. Adrenaline fading, Ethan's mind was assaulted by a new sensation; pure, unbiased, raw pain, directly through his midsection, he could feel that the door had torn through his stomach, and felt the odd pouring feeling of blood leaving him rapidly, though beyond this, he felt his insides pulsate, and sting slightly, he had to attempt to remove himself from the door, and thus he put all his weight on to it, feeling it slide sharply out of his body and onto the floor, where he, too, now resided, in a pile of his own volatile darkened blood and billions of crimson-soaked fragments of wood, he allowed his head to roll lazily forwards, and saw the entire corridor was bathed in a blackened red, clumps of flesh and wood intertwining,

_He_ had done this.

_Ethan Winters_ had done this.

He didn't know how long he sat, but his mind refused to lose consciousness, as a result, he felt every system in his body being repaired, every cell, all of it, his head was rested against the fractured wall, exhausted, when, instantaneously, Eveline was in front of him, beaming down at him, Ethan gazed up as he let out a painful sigh, "That... didn't... go too well..." The man said in a slightly humorous undertone, "Don't worry, Daddy!" Said she, "Mommy should've calmed down by now, go try talk to her!" She said, seeming cheerful, and, against all reason and logic, Ethan agreed, and so, he shakily arose, edging towards the Dining Area, grasping the table for support, and went over to the couch, as if, strangely, he knew where she was, and, even stranger, Mia lay, curled up on one side of the couch, wary, Ethan approached, and examined her face: Miraculously, thanks to his Daughter, her eyes and other ailments had all but healed; the only evidence that such a horrific skirmish occurred between the two was the dried blood around her eyes and on the couch she lay on, Mia seemed peaceful at this time;

Unfortunately, that 'peace' was _not_ to last.  

* * *

 


	9. Shattered Visage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and his new Daughter, now sharing a common goal, attempt to sway Mia to finally become part of their family-for good, but will Mia finally give in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween Everyone!

Night had come. It's penetrative darkness had already enveloped the entire plantation, leaving only the occasional dimmed light to illuminate the surroundings, fortunately, however, the living room was rather well-lit, allowing Ethan to see the curled-figure of Mia, seemingly unscathed, on the beaten couch, he rested upon the adjacent table, observing, the woman seemed uncharacteristically peaceful, as even when they had lived together in Texas Mia slept rather fitfully, though Ethan supposed he never had the courage to inquire about it, for fear of her answer. Ethan's contemplation was silenced, however, as he noticed Mia's violently bloodshot eyes open, and stare at him, he said nothing, allowing her to assume a sitting position, after which her only words were: "Why...?" Said she, quietly, Ethan, by this time, had averted his gaze and was now looking, unflinching at the covered window next to them, and said, in a blank but equally cold tone, "I'd do it again." "What?" Retaliated Mia, swiftly, "I  _said_   I'd do it again." He repeated, raising his voice slightly; in his eyes, his wife  _needed_ to be taught a lesson, "Families don't attack each other" He thought, and besides, anything he did after that point was doubled as both a punishment and mere self-defence. 

Ethan spoke once more, this time voicing his thought, to which Mia bluntly, and sarcastically responded: "You're one to talk!", though Ethan, looking hurt by this replied, in true seriousness, "You  _can't_ keep doing this Mia, we need work this out,  _you_ need to work this out, we... we can't be a  _Family_ otherwise..." Mia rose to her feet, and said, angrily; "A  _Family_ _?_ With  _her?_ No... You... you're not..." Lost for words she simply said: "You've  _changed_ Ethan, you're not the man I married, and I know it's...  _her_ that's doing all this but... did you even  _try_ to fight back?" "You  _know_ I did, and so far, it's been one of the worst mistakes I've ever made, it... every time I tried to stop it... it  _hurt_ , I... I couldn't... I could never do this to our little girl... not now..." Ethan admitted, morose in his delivery, then continued: "I know it's hurting you, too, I know you just wanna be happy, so... why are you making it so difficult for yourself... for us... for her..." The man still sat, staring blankly into space, then spoke once more: "You don't have to fight anymore, don't have to hurt, she... she'll forgive you... and we can all  _be together._ " "What makes you think I want to be a Family with Eveline, Ethan?" She spat harshly, Ethan got to his feet now as well and dared to face Mia, and said, emotionally, "She  _loves_ you, Mia, she really does, just as much as I do, and I know deep down, that you still feel something for her too." At this, Mia shouted with a mix of fury and annoyance, "NO!" "No... Ethan..."

"I've already made that mistake once-"

"I'm never going to make it a second time."

Said she, in defiance, to which Ethan in turn, raised his voice to a shout: "IS THAT ALL SHE IS TO YOU?! A FUCKING MISTAKE? SHE'S YOU'RE DAUGHTER, MIA!" His tone of voice shifted considerably after his short outburst, continuing quietly, "Please... Just... Just give it a chance..." With that, he began to leave the room, followed by: "I'll leave you alone to let you decide." He said softly. Ethan walked slowly, ignoring the carnage the two had caused hours prior, and continued into the main hall, the place seemed familiar to him now, he knew where almost  _everything_ was, every door, every window, and again the man could not help noticing that the entire place seemed...  _clearer_ , than before when he was alone with his Daughter, as if he could focus more, as he wondered why this might be, Eveline appeared at the top of the grand but decrepit staircase, obscured by the dark, and said humorously: "Weren't _actually there_ , silly! I just made you think you were so you wouldn't do anything... bad. Neat, huh?" She waited for praise from her Father which immediately came, as Ethan had to admit, that was rather ingenious on her part, and so said so, "That's... Actually pretty smart!" He said encouragingly, he knew there was no point to be angry, as after all, he probably _would've_ done something 'bad', he continued to walk, this time up the stairs to meet her, though as he reached the top, no trace of her was left, though he remained unfazed by the fact, as he had gotten used to it by this time, "Evie?" He said, unexpectedly, "Do you think she'll... Do you think Mia will _'listen'_ now?" He asked, hopeful, whilst _he_ had no indication of what was going on inside his wife's head, _Eveline_ most certainly did, and he hoped to hell that Eveline's answer was a good one, though if it were the opposite, he would simply try harder; he would do _anything_ to be a Family with Eveline, himself, and Mia, and to this end, his answer came from behind him though Ethan did not bother to turn round, as with before, he had gotten used to it. "I think she will, Daddy! Like you said, she just needs some time alone..." Came her answer, excitedly.

Ethan progressed through the upstairs hallways, flashes of fleeing from Jack, and fighting off Molded played across his mind, "It's all in the past now." He audibly said to himself in reassurance, "All that matters now is my Family." He continued. The man didn't really know why he had come upstairs, other to give Mia some space, but decided he might as well go to the restroom and evaluate his appearance, and thus, he made towards the door, spying a Four-Legged Molded skulk away into the darkness; They seemed to have no interest in him, yet another benefit to being a member of Eveline's Family, he thought, as he entered the bathroom, his sense of smell was immediately overpowered by the musty smell of damp Mold, the tiles from the walls were cracked and missing, a viscous black mass had filled the bath, writhing and convulsing, the floor was dangerously filthy and wet, so much so Ethan had to be careful not to slip, Ethan approached the surprisingly unbroken mirror, and wiped away the culmination of years of dirt from it; he expected to see slight changes in his face, a few cuts and bruises, his eyes maybe slightly bloodshot from fatigue and stress;

However, it was a  _much_ more drastic change.

The haggard man staring back at him was nigh-unrecognisable as Ethan Winters; where there once was youth lay tiredness and savageness, his moderately tanned face had turned a sickly pale, with deep blackened bags formed under his eyes, causing them to look sunken into his very skull, his jaw and cheeks had become gaunt and thin, dark veins were visible on parts of his forehead, around his eyes, and on his neck, his usually combed blond hair was matted, accentuated with small masses of filth and dried blood, the latter of which had been splattered on various parts of his face, clothing, and hands, which were completely covered by the coppery-brown and crimson substance, with his forearms host to vast tendrils of dark veins, his body structure seemed unchanged however, though this was of little concern to Ethan, his white shirt was torn and blood-covered, and had a large part of the midsection missing-likely occurring when Mia impaled him with the door, the most alarming element to his new appearance, however was his eyes themselves, no longer were they the sea of blue he had become so familiar with, no, they were no longer blue, in fact his irises were a sickly white, and in a certain light, they were invisible, the only recognisable part of his eyes that remained were the dark Sclera, they looked manic, violent and insane, and he swore he could see the reflection of Eveline skipping happily behind him in it, the complete antithesis of the man whom the eyes once belonged to, and the antithesis of Ethan's current mood, on the contrary, he was astoundingly, and happily calm, hopeful that everything would work out just fine, and they could finally be a  _Family_ , they could finally be  _Together._

"It doesn't matter how I look" Ethan thought to himself, "Evie still loves me," He continued, " _M-Mia_ still loves me,"

"And as long as I trust my Little girl,"

" _Everything_ will be okay."

* * *

 


	10. Shattered Dwelling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mia left to decide an impossible choice, both Ethan and Eveline come to a worrying revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! Sorry for the rather long wait, I haven't exactly had time to write another chapter for a while, but I hope this will suffice!

Ethan leant over the partially smashed, filth-laden sink, sighing with effort, and cupped his head in his hands, not as a gesture of sadness, but thoughtfulness; he pondered on how long it would take his wife to 'realise' how much Eveline cared about her, how much  _he_ cared about her, and thus, deciding that she had been given substantial time to come to a decision, vacated the restroom, almost losing his footing on the mix of water, Mold, and blood that coated the floor like a macabre paint, and continued into the entrance-hall, his footsteps cascading with infernal purpose throughout the house, and as he made towards the wrought-iron double-doors that led into the dining area and living-room, briefly thought he caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure outside, but swiftly dismissed this, as more pressing matters were on his mind, and entered the living-room, spotting Mia, gazing out of the window, "So?" Ethan said simply, expectant hopefulness laced in his voice, though Mia gave no answer, to which Ethan called her name, in an attempt to catch her attention, "How can... how can you even _make_ a choice like this?" She said, questioning both herself and her spouse, "To... lose who you are... for what?" She continued, "For _Eveline_ _?_ For some sort of false happiness?" Her voice trailed off, unable to bring to fruition the words she wished to say, Ethan approached her quietly, and put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her, and said, empathetically, "I know, okay? I know... but... It's _not_ false... The happiness, it's... it's all real, I _swear_ to you, and... I just _know_ you're gonna make the right choice." Mia had turned now, staring at Ethan, unsure of what to do, and so Ethan continued, "I just wanna be happy, baby... happy with _you_... But, you gotta decide _now_ , because, I don't know whether I can take not knowing anymore." Tears had begun to run their course down Mia's face, likewise for Ethan, and, with either parties not knowing what actions they should take, both Ethan and Mia embraced one another, marking the first loving contact they had had in over three years, though, this hug merely drove their emotions further, with both individuals being reduced to sobbing wrecks, Ethan meagrely attempted to speak, saying: "It's alright, it's gonna be alright, okay? I _love_ you..." Though most of his words came choked with emotion, Ethan didn't want to let go, to immortalize the moment forevermore, though he knew it was impossible.

Once their emotional state had lessened somewhat, and they had released one another from their arms, Mia said hoarsely, voice raw from crying: "I love you, too." then resigned to sit on the couch once more, though the prior moment had greatly uplifted Ethan's spirits, he  _had_ to know her answer, and to this end, asked with excitement, "So, what's... what's your choice?" "We gonna make this 'love' thing official again, or what?" The man said in a humorous tone, attempting to lighten the rather serious mood,

"Okay." "Let's do that." Came Mia's reply, along with a slight smile.

"Really!?" Half-squealed Ethan in pure delight, not unlike how Eveline sounded when she was excited, he practically leaped over to her, and was ready to embrace his wife once more when suddenly, Eveline appeared in the doorway, her presence seeming to smother the bright atmosphere in darkness, even to Ethan, who loved his Daughter with all his heart, to add to the darkened mood, the girl bore a grave expression, and said, calmly, but not without a hint of urgency, "Daddy, I need to talk to you, now." After hearing this, he immediately complied, leaving his wife in the Living-Room to follow his Daughter and see what the problem was, they didn't have to walk very far, simply to the Entrance-Hall, Ethan initiated the conversation, saying, with obvious tones of confusion, "This isn't about your Mother, is it?", Eveline shook her head, adding with it, "No, it's not about Mommy." Ethan took silent happiness in this, and waited patiently for her to continue, "We can't stay here anymore, Daddy." Said she, "Why not, Sweetie?" Ethan inquired; the Plantation, whilst harbouring significant memories the man desperately didn't want to revisit, it had all the amenities he and his Family required, " _Bad People_ are here, they wanna hurt us, hurt _me_ , we're not safe here." Eveline said, an uncommon but certainly present fear in her speech, a fear that made Ethan want to hurt whomever was causing this fear in his little girl, he searched his memory for the 'Bad People' Eveline referred to and then began to recollect; when he had left the Oil Tanker and entered some sort of shack, he remembered hearing the radio chatter of individuals seemingly intent on finding any survivors, but he _knew_ he was missing something, the exact words they had used...

"Shoot to Kill."

If they found his Family, they would surely try to end their lives, and, failing to do so, would likely attempt to apprehend and experiment on them, and if one thing was clear in Ethan's mind, he was sure as shit not going to let that happen, "Okay, Evie... You're right, we gotta leave... I'll, I'll get Mia." He voiced, worry beginning to surge through his veins, and made swiftly towards where he had left Mia, though he had no plan, he knew they all had to get out of the house as quick as possible, "Mia!" he shouted frantically, "We need to go, now!" He grabbed Mia by the arm, to which she replied, "Wait, why?" "There are people here, Mia, they'll try and kill us if they see us, so we gotta get out of here." The man responded, his frantic state clearly infectious, as Mia began to quicken her pace, once they had opened the door to the Entrance-Hall, Mia and Ethan beheld two Heavily-armed men holding rifles, equipped with helmets in the style of gas masks, in response to this, the pair raised their weapons and prepared to fire, in a split second, Ethan had crashed toward the man on his right, using his momentum to grapple the man into wall and window, smashing his head through, procuring a harsh smash as shards cascaded to the floor, with the soldier pushed into the window-frame ensnared from the back of his neck by shards of glass stabbing into him, Ethan brought his fists bluntly down against the soldier's face, completely shattering his helmet and visor, revealing a grizzled, weathered looking man with one eye staring in pain up at him, Ethan brought his fists down again and again, increasing in ferocity and intent each time, screaming savagely, way beyond the capacity Ethan believed he could, and did not cease until all that was left was a small piece of mulched grey-matter impaled through a crimson spike of glass, he glanced over to his wife, who had decapitated the other soldier, and had kicked the head to one side, "That'll show 'em not to fuck with  _our_ family, huh?" Ethan said triumphantly, face drenched with blood, smiling with an insane fervour,

"Let's get the hell out of here." He said simply.

* * *

 


	11. Happy Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With soldiers swarming every corner of the house, Eveline, Ethan, and Mia must all escape together if they wish to achieve that which they all crave:
> 
> A Happy Family.

Ethan felt  _good._ Not emotionally, as his current mood was anything but, namely a furious concoction of anxiety and anger, but 'good' in the sense that he believed he was enacting his duty as a member of his Family, doing exactly as he should; 

Ensuring Eveline's safety.

Without her, there would be nothing, no happiness, no family, no Mia, and so, Ethan thought, as he looked over to his wife, who was caked in as much blood as himself, he would do  _anything_ , hurt  _anyone_ who dared to harm his little girl. Whilst they still stood, surveying the area, Eveline called out from behind them, though only Ethan turned, thus it was likely only he could see her at present; "Wait for me, Daddy!" Came her voice, in a tone that seemed oddly joyous in such a grave occasion, though Ethan put this down to her youthful mind, "You think I'd ever leave you, Sweetie?" Replied Ethan, reassuring in delivery, though it was clear that such a tone was unneeded, "Never." Said she, with confidence as _r_ she gripped his hand tightly, "Ok, let's go." Eveline continued, beckoning her parents forth, "I know a quick way out! Come on!", in accordance to Eveline's wishes, they took a sharp right, following her as she paced towards a small shed-like building, as dilapidated and rotted as the rest of the house, Ethan could hear more not-so-distant soldiers behind them, though, by glancing quickly behind him, it had become apparent they had not yet been noticed, as the soldiers were examining the area around Zoe's trailer, guns pointed warily at anything that may attack, using this opportunity, the three entered the small building through a window, that fortunately had been crudely decimated by an the passing of time, and thus opened easily. Once inside, the interior was wholly unremarkable, cobwebs clung to the walls in large force, covering entire sections of the wall, such a section that Eveline pointed at, saying, quietly, "It's through here!" And began to crouch down to get through the broken back-panel of the shed, releasing her grip from Ethan's hand in order to do so, once she had all but dissipated from view, he allowed Mia to enter second, glimpsing back through the window to check the status of the armed men, whilst they were advancing, they were looking in the wrong direction, having noticed the gored and torn bodies of their comrades, Ethan took some silent satisfaction in the way they recoiled from the sight in utter horror, smiling to himself on the grievous effect it had over them; he didn't care how sadistic he seemed, it sent a message the fuckers wouldn't soon forget, and for that, he was pleased. 

"Come on, Daddy, hurry up!" His Daughter's voice called, in slight impatience, understanding he was wasting valuable time, he obliged, crawling through the jagged hole, clothes snagging harshly on his clothing and tearing into his skin, though compared to his previous experiences of pain, this meant nothing, and so he continued, emerging and assuming a standing position, the already prevalent smell of swamp-water increasing somewhat as he did so, unlike the house, of which he was familiar with, the swampy terrain in which he was now situated in was unknown territory to him, and so looked to Eveline for guidance, saying: "So, now where, Evie?", Whilst offering no verbal response, she resumed her grasp of Ethan's hand and gestured for them to continue to follow her, and so, they followed, as Mia and Ethan both knew that their only chance to escape was to trust her, as they had no inkling of an idea as to where they needed to go to vacate the plantation, as they advanced, they sought to stick to the banks of the swamp rather than submerge themselves in water, as they had no idea how deep it went and seemed unnecessary, and they wished to avoid an encounter with an Alligator; not that they couldn't dispatch the creature with relative ease, it was simply more of a slight nuisance than a true threat, and would likely only serve to slow them down, though they still followed their Daughter, who was almost skipping as they traversed the marsh, until eventually, they reached a sharp incline, and were forced to halt their advance. Eveline looked up at the incline with an annoyed look on her face, crossing her arms, she said, inconvenienced, "We'll have to go _around_ , now." "Yeah, I guess we will...." Replied Ethan, almost nonchalant in his annoyance, it was he who led this time, taking the trio to a less sharper incline to the left, until they reached the top and were faced with a road, likely the very same road Ethan took to gain access to the plantation in the first place, the road seemed to continue in it's vastness for miles, though they could see no signs of vehicles anywhere, Ethan knew they couldn't walk the expansive road; they had to find a car, and with none in sight, he sat down on the ground, to wait. "What are you doing?" Eveline giggled, inquisitively, Mia, too, shared her inquisitiveness, and glanced at her husband in confusion, to assuage the general confusion, Ethan said, in an explanatory tone: "We need to get a car, and the best way to get one is to wait for one, we'll..." Ethan hesitated, "We'll get a ride or something." "What if they don't stop?" Said Mia, anxiety apparent in her voice, they needed to leave Louisiana as quickly as possible, and being forced to prolong their stay didn't help matters. "They will." Ethan replied, confident.

They simply sat there. Waiting. Mia had resolved to staring thoughtfully into the distance, unmoving, whilst Ethan and Eveline were staring up at the night sky, admiring the stars, with Ethan attempting to tell her what basic knowledge he had on the stars, "Are they  _really_ made from gas, Daddy?" Said the child, innocently, "Yeah, they've got the stuff that make balloons float in 'em!" Answered Ethan with a laugh, "Is that why they float?" Inquired his Daughter again, "Nah, it's... it's a little confusing, but, I dunno, when we've got a car I'll see if I can explain it right to you." Said the man, "I like stars," Eveline said, "They're pretty." "Yeah, they sure are..." Said Ethan quietly, in agreement, "Daddy, look!" Eveline exclaimed suddenly as she pointed at two fast approaching masses of lights, Ethan sprung to his feet, casually assuring, "Stay here, I'll jus be a sec." The haggard looking man walked to the middle of the road, and raised his arms in desperation, hoarsely shouting "Hey! Stop!" As the car advanced. Ethan waited until the car was closer, then shouted once more, "Can you stop the car?! Please! I got my Family here!" Much to Ethan's fortune, the car slowed, and stopped in front of Ethan, due to the intense glare of the headlights he was unable to make out the car's owner until a distinctly female voice called out, in concern: "You okay?" Her accent was particularly heavy, and Ethan guessed she might've come from Dulvey, "I... We need a ride, our... car crashed into a ditch and we've been stuck here for _hours_." Said Ethan in an exasperated tone, he was playing the sympathy card all he card, anything to secure a vehicle, "Hang on," The woman said suddenly, getting out of her car, "My God," She said, shocked, creating a sense of confusion in Ethan's mind, "Is that your  _Mother_? I-I mean, she's okay, right?" Ethan, not knowing what in hell she was on about, said, insulted, "No, that's my  _wife._ " "I don't mean her," The woman said, glancing at Mia, "I mean the woman in the wheelchair, she's your Mother, right?" She said confused, pointing at his Daughter, Ethan, seeing this as an insult, raised his voice slightly, "What sorta fucked up world are you in, huh!?" The woman took a step back, unready for Ethan's sudden verbal attack, "That's my  _DAUGHTER!"_ He shouted, "There's no-one in a fucking wheelchair! Just my Wife, me, and my Little girl." Said he, in a lowered tone, anger still boiling in his stomach, whilst Mia watched on, arms crossed and a stern look upon her face, "You gonna help us or what?" He retaliated, harshly, he stopped himself, "Please." He simply asked, the woman, having been frightened by Ethan's apparent erratic behaviour, and having noticed the ungodly amounts of gore littered on his clothes and body, said, shakily, "I... I can't... I, I have work to get to, I'm sorry, I'm sure someone'll come along..."

"Someone has." Ethan said darkly.

Ethan grabbed the woman violently by the throat, silencing her screams, threw her with ease onto the ground, and with one callous movement brought his foot down on her head, imploding her skull, creating a crunch sound as he did, Mia simply stood as she watched her husband coldly kick the now headless woman's body off of the sharp incline, whilst Eveline seemed uncaring, still sitting on the ground, "Hopefully people will just mistake it for roadkill." Ethan said grimly, gesturing to the grotesque lump of crimson flesh where the woman's head once was, "Right," Ethan began, "Let's get in the car, you two." Oddly, for a few brief seconds, Ethan had a profuse Head-Rush, and when he regained his senses, he was closer to the car than he was before, choosing to ignore this minor occurrence, he thought he would quickly see if the woman had anything useful in the trunk of her car, though he only found a few more canisters of gasoline, and, oddly, an old wheelchair, out of place in the meagre contents of the trunk, the woman certainly didn't need it, the man considered disposing of it but his gut-instinct told him he should hold on to it, and knowing now that his gut-instincts would almost always be greatly beneficial to him and his Family's wellbeing, left the wheelchair safely inside, and got in the car, where Mia and Eveline were already waiting for him, on the horizon, the sun had begun to show, casting a warm orange glow onto the Louisiana countryside, Ethan could almost call it 'Beautiful'. "Right then, buckle up!" Ethan said, enthusiastically, to which they all did, Ethan was a good Father, he thought, and was loving every second of it, he was pretty sure he was a damn-good Husband, too, and he was gonna do everything in his power to make sure Mia thought the same, "We can finally be a family now." Said Eveline, satisfied, 

_"A Happy Family."_ All three said in exact unison.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... That's it for now! By God I absolutely LOVED writing this, I'm almost sad to finish it...   
> Nevertheless, this certainly won't be the last piece of Resident Evil: VII Fiction I'm gonna be writing! Let's just say it's going to be a little... 'Different'  
> In the future I may do a follow-up to this, (A sequel, if you will.) As I realise that it ends on a rather odd note and leaves Ethan, Mia, and Evie's story unresolved, so I may do something like that in the future, but until then I'm going to be focusing mainly on the 'other' piece of RE:VII Fiction I'll be writing, anyways, thank you to everyone who's read 'Part of the Family', and I really hope you enjoyed it! :)


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